GIRARD NEWS | Local first responder in need of kidney
by: Julianna Brock, August 7th, 2026
GIRARD, Ohio (WKBN) – A local first responder dedicates his time to help the community; now he needs generosity to help him continue his work.
Evan Warholic, 24, was diagnosed with Alport Syndrome when he was just 5 years old. It’s a genetic disease that causes progressive kidney damage and hearing loss.
“It’s not easy to work three jobs and go to school while you’re in renal failure. It’s just there’s no easy way to say it. It’s been rough, but I love my job enough that I didn’t want to give it up,” Warholic said. Despite his symptoms, he continues to give back every day through his work.
“He’s a good guy, you know, he’s a good young guy,” Atul Agnihorti, CEO of Kidneys for Communities, said. “The kind of people we want to see in our communities. He wants to do good to the community by being an EMT. He wants to serve them.”
Evan works part-time as a firefighter and EMT at the City of Girard and Warren Township. He also works part-time at Physicians Ambulance Service and volunteers at Weathersfield Fire Department whenever he can.
“This is where I want to be,” Warholic said. “This is what I want to do for the rest of my life. So I really enjoy my job. I really enjoy the people I work with, the patients I get to meet, the things I get to do. You meet a new person every day.”
Evan lost part of his hearing at age 5, leading to his diagnosis of Alport Syndrome.
“That was kind of crushing, obviously. That wasn’t, wasn’t very nice to hear. Uh, immediately put a lot of stress on me.”
He has been on peritoneal dialysis since 2025; he does it four times a week overnight. He has to wait an estimated 4 years for a kidney transplant.
“The rule of testing a donor is to ensure that there’s no risk to the donor’s life or lifestyle,” Agnihorti said. “So there’s a battery of tests that are done, performed on a donor to ensure that by donating a kidney they are not exposed to any risk.”
None of Evan’s family members qualify to be a donor. Evan is in school to become a paramedic and wants to dedicate his life to helping others.
“It would be really incredible to find out that somebody out there was willing to give me a kidney,” Warholic said. “That’s not a small thing to do. That is really, really significant.”
All Evan needs is a kidney donor.
“Science has shown that by donating one kidney, one of the two kidneys, a person can lead a healthy, normal life,” Agnihorti said.
You can read more about Warholic’s story and information on the donation process here.